Belaris
Physical Description Whatever Belaris must have looked like when he was alive is nothing more than a rapidly fading memory now. He wears the dark and violet uniform of one of the Deathstalkers, his hair tied back and cloaked within a black hood. What flesh he does show is desiccated from years of being undead, and he makes no attempt to hide this fact or downplay it. His eyeless face is worn and weary, the flesh having rotted away in places to give a tangled view into the interior of his mouth. Regular physical activity from his day-to-day training and duties have worn away the flesh at his joints as well, exposing his bones through the rot and tattered clothing. He appears lethargic and decrepit upon first glance, often lazily hunched over as he speaks with people or idles around. Personality & Motives In a word, Belaris is best described as a coward. Skulking in the shadows has nearly always been his life and unlife, and he wraps them around himself like a warm blanket whenever trouble is close by. This fact is reflected in nearly everything he does, from social interaction (appearing behind someone suddenly and scaring them with a greeting, or suddenly vanishing when confronted) to combat (nearly always allowing others to do most of the fighting, and only entering the fray when an easy kill is guaranteed, or simply sneaking away from hopeless combat engagements). His subtle, manipulative, and silver-tongued nature augments his cowardice, as almost everyone around him is blissfully unaware of it. Simply, he is able to bluff his way into appearing as a stalwart and brave leader. If cornered and trapped- emotionally or physically- his facade is quick to break, and he'll fight to escape like a feral animal- even if it means killing himself to do so. Like all Forsaken, Belaris' personality and outlook on life (and unlife) were warped and twisted horrifically when he was transformed into one of the undead. He is at his very core a Forsaken idealist, steadfastly believing that the Forsaken are a new race and it is their destiny to one day become a global power on Azeroth. To him, the Horde- including the Blood Elves- are merely a means to an end. However, Belaris is not one to pass up opportunities and does regularly engage in social networking with the rest of the Horde, always on the lookout for those who might one day be made to more directly- or indirectly- serve the "greater" cause of the Forsaken and the Dark Lady. Philosophically, there are two methods of thought amongst the Forsaken. The first- which Belaris strongly disagrees with- is the attempted reclaimation of their lost humanity and past, and the second- of which Belaris is a strong proponent of- is the movement to wipe away the past entirely and assume a new racial identity as part of the Forsaken. Despite the radical differences between the two camps of thought, however, Belaris does respect his opposition and elects to tolerate them until they inevitably attempt to incite treason against Sylvanas, or he can frame them for a crime. (*)Belaris' mix of cowardice, subtlety, deception and silver-tongued lies make him an easy fit into the Lawful Evil category, but he isn't without his finer points either. While most people he affiliates with are merely tools to his own ends, there are some who truly manage to befriend the assassin and whom he comes to genuinely trust with his existence. He has also been involved in several relationships, finding the comfort of love and companionship as desirable as the embrace of the shadows. He also cares deeply for his people and his unit, The Shadarim, and works day and night to ensure their success. Furthermore, Belaris strongly disagrees with forced servitude of any type, refuses to endorse it, and even has taken it upon himself on occasion to undo such bonds. His approach to leadership of The Shadarim is reflected in this outlook, as he prefers to breed camaraderie and trust between members of the unit, rather than force compliance with fear and intimidation. Background Before the Plague of Lordaeron Born thirteen years prior to the outbreak of the first war between man and orc, Belaris Delenada found himself growing up in one of the most peaceful eras Lordaeron had ever experienced. A native-born citizen of Southshore, he was raised alongside his elder brother Coby by their loving parents, Frank and Sara Delenada, both of whom worked the fields nearby as farmers. The two boys were very close growing up, but would never openly admit to it. While Belaris often looked up to and admired his older brother, they usually spent their time arguing and fighting one another. As they grew older and more mature, however, the intense competition between the brothers slowly began to subside and they found more common ground. When the news of Stormwind's fall hit the shores of Lordaeron along with the rumors of the Horde slaughter, Coby immediately enlisted in the Lordaeron army and became a soldier, wanting to see the world and fight to protect his home. Belaris, being only fourteen years old at the time, was legally barred from serving in the military still, but he dreamed of following in the footsteps of his brother. Coby, meanwhile, joined the 12th Legion as a footman and entered boot-camp to become a front-line soldier. The brothers often spoke of military life when Coby had the time off, and when Belaris turned sixteen, he also enlisted. Unlike his older brother, however, Belaris- with his much smaller profile- was found to have more aptitude as an advance scout and joined the 3rd Legion reconassiance unit. Coby and Belaris soon found themselves involved in the fierce battle at Tarren Mill at the opening of the Second War, when the elven convoy from Quel'thalas was ambushed by forest trolls and captured. Soon after their successful rescue, the Alliance between the great human kingdoms was formed, and they were soon joined by the Gnomes of Gnomeregan, the Dwarves of Khaz Modan, and the High Elves of Quel'thalas. The Second War had exploded on the face of Azeroth, pitting the brothers of the Alliance against the ravagers of Stormwind- the orcish Horde. The inevitable triumph of the Alliance found the brothers returning home, welcomed as heroes. Coby had earned the rank of Lieutenant, and Belaris had likewise been promoted to Corporal. The two brothers remained in Lordaeron up until the start of the Third War, stationed at several locations including Alterac, Tarren Mill, and Brill, to defend against a few of the still-free orc clans that ravaged the land on occasion. Unfortunately, the two brothers fought little in the Third War. Belaris quickly fell to the plague and became one of the Scourge, while Coby managed to escape the onslaught with the rest of the Lordaeron refugees, fleeing south to Stormwind. There, Coby was transferred into the Stormwind Guards and was permitted to retain his Lordaeron rank, while their parents managed to hold out in Southshore and escape the worst of the plague. To this day, a tombstone in the Southshore graveyard is engraved with Belaris' name, with his death dated in the year of the plague. Belaris' parents and Coby regularly visit and tend to the grave. During the Time of the Scourge Belaris remembers nothing except for haunting visages and shadows from this period of his unlife. From what little he has bothered to piece together, however, and from eye-witness reports, he participated in the razing of Silvermoon City during the Third War as a ghoul. Birth of the Forsaken A year later, Belaris awoke to find the world around him had changed drastically. Lordaeron was in ruins as a result of its fallen prince and the ravages of the Plague, twisted into a shadow of its former glory, and he along with it. Quel'thalas had all but fallen, its ranger general now the first Dark Ranger and the leader of a renegade faction of the Scourge now called the Forsaken. Unsurprisingly, Belaris was lost at first and struggled to adapt to unlife and accept what he had become. As he watched the other undead try to vainly reclaim their lost humanity, while others attempted to invoke the name of the Light with no success, Belaris contemplated what he would do and what course he should take. Within days, memories of his old life- of his parents in Southshore, of his brother Coby, and of the wars- came flooding back to him in waves. His first impulse was to return to Southshore and seek his family out, but he was gripped with dreadful fear of how they would react. No doubt, by now they considered him dead, and with the news of the Alliance directly opposing the newly formed Forsaken, he would be far from welcome in his hometown, and at worse, assumed to be one of the Scourge and destroyed. He also considered how difficult it would be for his family to cope with the fact that Belaris was now undead, and in the end, he thought it better for them to continue believing he was dead, rather than reopen the old wounds. However, despite his decision, Belaris never quite gave up entirely on seeing them again someday. Belaris elected to remain with the Forsaken. If his old life had left him for dead, he reasoned, then there was no point to dwelling on the past any longer. He would take this second chance in undeath and forge a new unlife for himself in the future instead. Taking his previous military career as an Alliance scout into consideration, Belaris joined the newly formed Deathstalker unit and began training and working as an assassin and spy. For the next six years, Belaris ran covert operation assignments around Tarren Mill, Alterac, and into Alliance territory, gathering reconnaissance and performing assassinations of key officials ordained by the commanders of the Deathstalkers. Having little in the way of time to spend idling around, Belaris was nearly always on the move. During his time with the Deathstalkers, Belaris became reasonably skilled, patient, and manipulative, as his assignments often included subversion, masquerades, and outright murder. As time went on, Belaris slowly became inoculated against the guilt that deception and killing often brought. Despite being disgusted at the prospect at first, he was also at times forced to consume his quarry after a fresh kill in order to gain the strength needed to escape, especially during his first few initial assignments with the Deathstalkers. As time went on, this self-imposed cannibalism grew to become an acquired taste as well as Belaris’ calling-card of sorts. He came to be quite fond of Gnome and Draenei- the females in particular. Inevitably, Belaris was given an assignment by the Deathstalkers to assassinate an official in Southshore where his living parents still resided. Despite the mission itself being particularly simple, Belaris first took the opportunity to infiltrate his old household and pillage his parent’s records, journals, and other documents to learn what had happened to them since the end of the Third War. There, he learned about his family’s grief over his supposed death, and his brother Coby’s transfer into the Stormwind Guards. Coming to the ultimate realization that his family had moved on without him, Belaris voluntarily made one of the most gruesome and bloody displays he possibly could out of the Southshore official, and then departed as silently as he came. He left his family alone. Since then, Belaris has rejected any Deathstalker assignments that involve either Stormwind City or Southshore. Present Day Today, Belaris has grown into a proud advocate of Forsaken supremacy, steadfastly believing that the Forsaken will eventually force their own way and rise to become a global power. To this end, he has all but cast away his past, and no longer considers himself human. While he once held onto a couple last threads of his humanity symbolized by his long black hair kept from a time when he was alive, he has since shaved it off after the realization he was still subconsciously looking back. However, at Arienne's incessant suggestions, Belaris ultimately grafted hair back on his head. Belaris was given leisure to form a new Forsaken military unit, code-named the Shadarim, and now leads the unit as a Sergeant-Major of the Deathstalkers. The unit operates as more of a maverick “special forces” unit, and conducts defense strategy within Tirisfal Glades, Silverpine Forest, and some other outlying areas. They also coordinate direct attacks upon Alliance towns, particularly those bordering Forsaken territory and those near to Stormwind City. Belaris fully intends to have the unit serve a pivotal role in the formation of a Forsaken global power, and the ultimate destruction of the Alliance. Unfortunately, Belaris was slain by another assassin on December 4th, 2009 during an assassination attempt on a Kor'Kron ambassador allegedly conducting an investigation into his private affairs. The exact nature of his demise is a hotly contested subject wrought with conspiracy and speculation, as the tiny amount of evidence and the discredit of eyewitness accounts have done nothing more than further complicate the affair and make the truth that much more distant. Captain Yulenia Deathsong, one of the Dark Rangers, has succeeded Belaris' command of The Shadarim. Affiliations & Relations Frank and Sara Delenada: Belaris' parents. Deceased. Under the impression Belaris was deceased, though his body was never recovered. Buried in Southshore following their recent deaths at the hands of an unknown Horde assassin. Coby Delenada: Belaris' older brother and role model. Currently alive, living in Stormwind. Escaped the plague of Lordaeron and fled to Stormwind, where he currently serves in the Stormwind Guard as a lieutenant. Under the impression Belaris is deceased, though his body was never recovered. Coby is currently a liaison between the Stormwind Guard, SI:7, and many other freelance Alliance organizations for coordinating intelligence information to repel and disrupt Horde operations. Lynn Burell: Belaris' second-in-command of the Shadarim, the love of his unlife, and quite possibly one of the few people Belaris would make any sacrifice for outside of the Dark Lady herself. Formerly one of the newly awoken Forsaken, Belaris found Lynn and brought her into the Shadarim when the unit was still initially being formed. Lost and disoriented at first, Lynn eventually became one of the main driving forces behind the unit's current agenda and objectives. Despite her romantic relationship with Belaris, Lynn is known for her tendency to place unit affairs before her personal feelings, much in the same way Belaris does. The Shadarim itself doesn't seem to mind their leader's romantic involvement either. Shraxx Sunsorrow: Member of The Sunguard. Ambassador to Brill and The Shadarim. While Shraxx originally started out as the ambassador to Brill for the Sunguard, she and Belaris became fast friends and near-constant drinking partners. The two eventually formed a strong relationship on the battlefield and off as a pair of assassins, though how far it might have gone is a question that will never be answered, as Belaris was killed in action before either of the pair had a chance to confess anything to their counterpart. Perhaps mercifully, Shraxx remains unaware of what Belaris' true intentions or motives were to this day. Talderis: Belaris' third-in-command of the Shadarim. Provided initial funding and investments during the formation of the Shadarim, despite not being a formal member of the unit until recently. Possesses contacts in the Undercity Reserve which has helped the unit equip itself for combat. One of the unit's only combat healers. Belaris entrusts many of the day-to-day operations of the unit to Talderis, including battlefield strategy and tactics. Arienne "Dawnforge" Songblade: In life, Arienne was presumably a stalwart paladin of the Argent Crusade and arguably Belaris' closest friend and confidant. In death, Arienne was all but Belaris' chosen lover, having sworn herself to the cause of the Forsaken and The Shadarim in particular. Although Belaris played an instrumental role in Arienne's transformation from a paladin into a death knight, Arienne doesn't seem to hate him for it and the details behind the entire ordeal are scarce at best. Recently she left the company of The Shadarim after a fallout with Belaris, and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Tienith Lightwarder: Another of Belaris' officers in the The Shadarim. The two worked together to form the unit and they spearhead its growth together today, as well as coordinate the unit's tactical deployment against the Alliance. Belaris considers Tienith to be the "hard-ass" of the unit, tolerating no bull. Trinea Corringthon: One of the leaders of Kiss of the Betrayer, and arguably Belaris' primary objective short of the Alliance itself. While the two exchange civilly nearly all the time and respect each other despite holding opposite ideals, Belaris eventually expects to be given orders to eliminate her on charges of treason against the Forsaken. Category:Horde Category:Forsaken Category:Horde Rogue Category:Miner Category:Engineer